Commemorating the War of 1812

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE– The Harper Government today launched the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812.

This War helped establish our path toward becoming an independent and free country, united under the Crown with a respect for linguistic and ethnic diversity.

“The heroic efforts of those who fought for our country in the War of 1812 tell the story of the Canada we know today: an independent and free country with a constitutional monarchy and its own distinct parliamentary system,” said James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages.

“The 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 is an opportunity for all of us to take pride in our history, and we look forward to taking part in the events and activities that will mark this important anniversary for Canada.”

Over the next four years, the Government will invest to increase Canadians’ awareness of this defining moment in our history.

This will include support for: a pan-Canadian educational campaign focused on the importance of the War of 1812 to Canada’s history; support for up to 100 historical re-enactments, commemorations, and local events; a permanent 1812 memorial located in the National Capital Region; interactive tours, six exhibits, and improvements to three national historic sites across the country; investments in infrastructure at key 1812 battle sites, such as Fort Mississauga and Fort York, Ontario; celebrating and honouring the links that many of our current militia regiments in Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada have to the War of 1812.

October 2012, will also be designated as a month of commemoration of the heroes and key battles of the War of 1812.

“Had the War of 1812 ended differently, the Canada we know today would not exist. The war laid the foundation for Confederation and the cornerstones of our political institutions,” said Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.

Details on planned activities will be made available on the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 website at www.1812.gc.ca.

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Concern about air pollution in Canada’s north, as shipping and mining activities in this remote region steadily increase, has led Environment Canada to install air quality monitors in two Nunavut communities. And installing those special monitors in Resolute and Cape Dorset during this past May was Dr. Ralf Staebler.

Staebler is a name that is very familiar within the community of South Dundas.

Ralf’s parents, Manfred and Helga, who immigrated to Canada from Germany, farm just outside Iroquois, although brother Michael now operates the family business with his father. Ralf continues to call this area home as many members of his immediate family still live in South Dundas. However, Ralf’s career, since leaving his Eastern Ontario home town, has taken him to the farthest reaches of the great North, and placed him at the cutting edge of air quality research.

“My love of technology and nature inspired me to pursue a career in the field of air quality,” Staebler said. “I’ve been building gadgets since I was six, and I’ve always been an avid outdoors guy. This job in the science and technology branch gives me some of each.”

A graduate in 1985 of Seaway District High School in Iroquois, Staebler was intensely interested in the sciences. He particularly remembers the late Wayne Johnston, who was his calculus teacher, and Rick Mackenzie, who was his chemistry instructor.

His passion for the sciences took him to Queen’s University in Kingston, where he earned a BScE in engineering physics, followed by an MSc in atmospheric physics from the University of Toronto. He was granted his PhD in atmospheric sciences by the State University of New York in Albany. In marked contrast to where he spends most of his time now, Ralf did his PhD field work in the Amazon jungles of Brazil.

He is employed with Environment Canada, and has gone to the Arctic specifically to study issues related to ozone depletions near the surface, carbon uptake by forests and various other topics involving the emission and deposition of pollutants.
“I get to work on high-tech equipment and I get to make measurements in the Arctic, in forests, on aircraft, wherever there is a need for more data.”

Officially, Staebler’s home is in Toronto, and he works in Downsview. He is in charge of the Borden Research Station at CFB Borden, and spends much time there. But he has also been sent to such places as Alert, Nunavut, Barrow, Alaska, and put to sea on the Amundsen research icebreaker.

The rugged, empty terrain of the Arctic is a far cry from the gentler temperatures and changing geography he grew up with, but he has come to love the north. “The vast empty spaces and the harsh, but beautiful, pristine landscapes in the Arctic really put things in perspective. It’s a very addictive place,” he explained.

On his recent trip to the Arctic, he installed air quality monitors at Resolute and Cape Dorset which will keep an eye on increasing ship traffic, and the nature and extent of various pollutants in the north as the sea ice disappears. This summer, Staebler is going to the Alberta Oil Sands to participate in a large air quality study organized by Environment Canada.

For Ralf Staebler, his chosen field gives him an opportunity to “think outside the box, to tackle problems that have never been tackled before.”

He enjoys working with his colleagues, exploring new and intriguing ideas.

“I like to think that what we do is important, to ensure a liveable planet for future generations,” Dr. Ralf Staebler said. He hopes to continue his work in the Arctic and in other parts of Canada affected by pollution.

“Canada is the custodian of a huge portion of the Arctic. It is our responsibility to take care of our own backyard.”

The Children’s Treatment Centre established itself as a respected organization in Stormont, Dundas, Glengarry and Akwesasne, helping around 2,400 abused children since 1996. The CTC – which is funded solely by the communities it serves […]

On July 22, at Guindon Park, Stormont, Dundas and South Glengarry MPP Jim McDonell hosted a summer picnic for everyone in his riding. According to his ‘tweet’ later that day: “SD&SG Riding Picnic was a great success today with almost 200 enjoying sausages, hamburgers and good company.”

The picnic is expected to be an annual event and, according to McDonell’s executive assistant Marilyn McMahon, “It gives the people a chance to chat with and maybe meet the MPP, if they have not met him before, and it allows the MPP to have an opportunity to meet and chat with the people.”

South Dundas residents Lorne Strader and Doris Stewart were just two of the residents in McDonell's riding to attend and enjoy the picnic. Strader recently received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his many years of service to his community.